dropped out of
the race. He's endorsed the party's current front-runner.
"I believe it is now time for our party to unite around the candidate best equipped to defeat Barack Obama. Despite our differences and the space between us on some of the issues, I believe that candidate is Governor Mitt Romney."
Mr Huntsman warned the other candidates against what he called the toxic nature of some of their campaigning against Mr Romney. Mr Huntsman, an ex-governor and former ambassador to China under the Obama administration, is seen by many Republicans as too moderate. He'd been
lagging
in the opinion polls and didn't do well in the first two primaries.
Nigeria's trade unions have announced that they've suspended their week-long strike against the rise in fuel prices. The announcement followed a cut in petrol prices. The unions said they'd acted to save lives after receiving information that the security forces had been ordered to use all means to end protests. Many Nigerians are demanding a return to the original price of fuel, but the government argues that the $8bn subsidy can be better used in poverty reduction programmes.
The Egyptian government has asked the International Monetary Fund for $3.2bn in support. Egypt turned down a similar package last June. Ongoing political instability has caused the economy to deteriorate, producing a growing budget deficit and currency pressures. Correspondents say Egyptians had hopes of an economic